Logicom reaches out to Saudi resellers

IT distributor Logicom has set itself the target of more than tripling the number of reseller accounts it serves in Saudi Arabia as it prepares to complete the second instalment of a launch event in Jeddah today.

IT distributor Logicom has set itself the target of more than tripling the number of reseller accounts it serves in Saudi Arabia as it prepares to complete the second instalment of a launch event in Jeddah today.

Senior management personnel, including executive director of distribution Michael Papaeracleous, will provide an overview of Logicom's plans and objectives for the Saudi market when it meets with resellers and vendor partners at Jeddah's Sofitel hotel. Yesterday the company stood in front of Riyadh-based partners to outline its strategy for the year ahead.

Since establishing a Saudi operation two quarters ago, Cyprus-based Logicom has traded with more than 150 resellers, but its aspirations are to reach a much wider audience. The company believes there is the potential for it to build relationships with 500 resellers this year, according to Saudi country manager Toni Azzi.

"It will be a big challenge, but it is realistic and achievable because at Logicom Saudi Arabia we are going to benefit from the experience and know-how of the group where we have 20 successful operations, especially with Cisco, Intel and Microsoft," said Azzi. "We have these brands in Saudi Arabia and intend to replicate the business model and best practices of Logicom Group worldwide."

Logicom's goal of addressing more resellers is likely to be assisted by local distribution agreements with vendors such as Seagate, Kingston, Philips, Lenovo, Linksys, Trend Micro and Stonevoice, which should capture the interest of both specialist VARs and more traditional resellers and retailers.

Logicom is officially kicking off its operations in Saudi this week following six months spent processing the necessary paperwork, getting local stock in place and recruiting 26 employees - more than 60% of which are fulfilling sales, marketing and channel development functions.

"Our main message to resellers is that Logicom is now fully operational in Saudi Arabia and ready to help them become more profitable," said Azzi. "We are a value added distributor which will work with each and every reseller, helping them to grow by enablement, education and support in inventory, credit and business development."